Teachers, policymakers and project learning: The questionable use of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ policy instruments to influence the implementation of curriculum reform in Hong Kong
Following the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region developed wide-ranging curriculum reforms, including project learning. A recent survey has indicated that over 80% of Hong Kong primary and secondary schools have adopted p...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Simon Fraser University
2010-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journals.sfu.ca/ijepl/index.php/ijepl/article/view/198/93 |
| _version_ | 1818606250743562240 |
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| author | Ping Kwan Fok Kerry J. Kennedy Jacqueline Kin Sang Chan |
| author_facet | Ping Kwan Fok Kerry J. Kennedy Jacqueline Kin Sang Chan |
| author_sort | Ping Kwan Fok |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Following the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region developed wide-ranging curriculum reforms, including project learning. A recent survey has indicated that over 80% of Hong Kong primary and secondary schools have adopted project learning as a curriculum task. Such an outcome is hard to reconcile both with the culture of Hong Kong schools and the generally bleak picture that pervades the literature on educational change.In seeking an explanation for this apparent success we focus attention on the policy instruments that were used by government agencies to facilitate the process of implementation. Our analysis revealed that teachers were caught in a pincer movement that involved voluntary activities promoting project learning and coercive measures that monitored and evaluated successful implementation. Teachers’ views of these policy instruments differed markedly from those of policymakers. This confluence of mixed approaches, while apparently successful, is also shown to be problematic. Finally, the paper is located in a theoretical framework with its origins in recent policy theory that to date has not been applied to educational contexts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T14:07:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6fb4d45aaf5c459694f9e6a6f8c27517 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1555-5062 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T14:07:52Z |
| publishDate | 2010-01-01 |
| publisher | Simon Fraser University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership |
| spelling | doaj.art-6fb4d45aaf5c459694f9e6a6f8c275172022-12-21T22:28:53ZengSimon Fraser UniversityInternational Journal of Education Policy and Leadership1555-50622010-01-0156Teachers, policymakers and project learning: The questionable use of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ policy instruments to influence the implementation of curriculum reform in Hong KongPing Kwan FokKerry J. KennedyJacqueline Kin Sang ChanFollowing the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region developed wide-ranging curriculum reforms, including project learning. A recent survey has indicated that over 80% of Hong Kong primary and secondary schools have adopted project learning as a curriculum task. Such an outcome is hard to reconcile both with the culture of Hong Kong schools and the generally bleak picture that pervades the literature on educational change.In seeking an explanation for this apparent success we focus attention on the policy instruments that were used by government agencies to facilitate the process of implementation. Our analysis revealed that teachers were caught in a pincer movement that involved voluntary activities promoting project learning and coercive measures that monitored and evaluated successful implementation. Teachers’ views of these policy instruments differed markedly from those of policymakers. This confluence of mixed approaches, while apparently successful, is also shown to be problematic. Finally, the paper is located in a theoretical framework with its origins in recent policy theory that to date has not been applied to educational contexts.http://journals.sfu.ca/ijepl/index.php/ijepl/article/view/198/93curriculumproject based learning |
| spellingShingle | Ping Kwan Fok Kerry J. Kennedy Jacqueline Kin Sang Chan Teachers, policymakers and project learning: The questionable use of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ policy instruments to influence the implementation of curriculum reform in Hong Kong International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership curriculum project based learning |
| title | Teachers, policymakers and project learning: The questionable use of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ policy instruments to influence the implementation of curriculum reform in Hong Kong |
| title_full | Teachers, policymakers and project learning: The questionable use of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ policy instruments to influence the implementation of curriculum reform in Hong Kong |
| title_fullStr | Teachers, policymakers and project learning: The questionable use of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ policy instruments to influence the implementation of curriculum reform in Hong Kong |
| title_full_unstemmed | Teachers, policymakers and project learning: The questionable use of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ policy instruments to influence the implementation of curriculum reform in Hong Kong |
| title_short | Teachers, policymakers and project learning: The questionable use of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ policy instruments to influence the implementation of curriculum reform in Hong Kong |
| title_sort | teachers policymakers and project learning the questionable use of hard and soft policy instruments to influence the implementation of curriculum reform in hong kong |
| topic | curriculum project based learning |
| url | http://journals.sfu.ca/ijepl/index.php/ijepl/article/view/198/93 |
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